1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for portable equipment such as a cellular phone, a beeper, or a portable electronic device having a timer function, in particular, an apparatus for informing a user of predetermined incoming information such as a call or a set time by vibrations.
2. Description of the Related Art
A cellular phone with a vibrator function is well known. The phone serves to inform its holder of an incoming call not only by tone but also by vibrations of the phone housing.
The cellular phone includes a motor (vibrator) attached in a housing and having an eccentric weight. The eccentric weight has a center of gravity deviated from a rotary shaft of the motor by a predetermined distance. Thus, the vibrator function is achieved as follows. First, the rotation of the motor in one direction in response to an incoming call rotates the eccentric weight in the circumferential direction of a predetermined radius about the rotary shaft. Therefore, the housing to which a stator of the motor is attached receives the reaction force generated by the movement of the eccentric weight to forceably vibrate itself. Then, the vibration can directly propagate to a user to inform him/her of the incoming call. The vibrator function is suitable when the user wants to perceive an incoming call without troubling adjacent people with the sound tone.
To enable the user of the cellular phone to sense the vibration of the housing of the cellular phone to perceive the incoming call, he/she has to always hold the cellular phone in such a manner that a part of his/her body is in contact with the housing. When the user leaves the cellular phone on a table or away from his/her body, and when the cellular phone vibrates the housing in response to an incoming call, the cellular phone may experience substantial movement due to the vibration from the original position on the table. As a result, the phone may sometimes drop from the table.